What literary device attributes human qualities or actions to non-human beings or objects?

The correct answer is personification, which is a literary device that gives human traits, emotions, or actions to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract concepts. This technique allows writers to create vivid imagery and emotional connections by enabling readers to relate to non-human entities as if they possess human-like characteristics.

For instance, in a sentence like "The wind whispered through the trees," the wind is described as though it can whisper—a uniquely human action—thus enhancing the reader's experience and engagement with the scene. This device can also imbue objects with feelings, such as saying "the tired old car groaned as it struggled up the hill," which offers a sense of struggle and fatigue to a vehicle.

While metaphor involves a direct comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as," and simile does the same but includes those terms, neither of these focuses on attributing human qualities to non-human entities. Hyperbole, on the other hand, is an exaggerated statement for emphasis or effect. These distinctions are crucial when identifying literary devices, emphasizing how personification uniquely brings the non-human world to life through human-like attributes.